How A Simple Google Search Can Help Your Brain

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WWR Article Summary (tl;dr)A new study shows that simply using search engines such as Google triggers key centers in the brains of middle-aged and older adults.

The Sun Herald

The Internet, Facebook, smartphones and other technology might be a challenging new frontier for many seniors, but there are benefits to learning and embracing the evolving technology.

A study at UCLA showed that simply using search engines such as Google triggered key centers in the brains of middle-aged and older adults, areas that control complex reasoning and decision-making, according to a press release at ucla.edu.

Researchers involved said the results suggest that searching might help stimulate and possibly improve the function of the brain.

“The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults,” said principal investigator Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA who holds UCLA’s Parlow-Solomon Chair on Aging. “Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function.”

You might be familiar with the posit that crosswords, word searches and other puzzles help keep the brain active, but as technology becomes more a part of our daily lives, the influence of computer use, including the Internet, also helps keep the mind engaged and may help preserve cognitive ability.

Study volunteers were between the ages of 55 and 76; with half of them having search experience and half of them had no search experience. Gender, age and education level were kept similar between the two groups, which performed Web searches and book-reading tasks.

While all the participants showed significant brain activity during the book-reading task, Internet searches were another matter. All the participants showed the same brain activity as in the book-reading task, but those familiar with online searches also showed activity “in the frontal, temporal and cingulate areas of the brain, which control decision-making and complex reasoning,” the study revealed.